Meet Me at the Bar
by SilverFang88
Summary: The battle is over, the Reapers are no longer a threat to anyone or anything in the galaxy. Shepard is alive and is finally able to claim his well-earned peace in life. But first...him and his crew, of both old and new, were going to indulge themselves.


Hello all, just putting up something that's been on my mind since my second playthrough of ME3. We have those moments don't we right? Well, regardless, I just had this compulsive urge to write up this story based on what I personally wished to end up happening after the final fight. This is my first ME Fanfic, but I think I did it well enough to where everyone who enjoys the universe *hehe* can also come to like this story as well.

Enjoy, and I own nothing except the name of my Male Shep.

* * *

A shallow, harsh, breath escaped lips dirtied by dirt, rubble, and blood; body still covered by the debris of which were made from both rock and concrete. Most of the individual's body was unmoving, with the exception of the gradual rise and fall of the individual's chest. While could yet to be seen if the rest of his body was critically injured due to the rubble covering a majority of his body, it was still safe to assume that, while damaged, the person's armor had remained, mostly, intact. That wasn't to say that parts of it weren't damaged, as half the said person's shoulder pad going to the armor was seen a small distance away from his person.

Never the less, the chest portion was still intact, though scratched, dirty, dented, and cracked in a a number of locations. Still, the N7 logo imprinted on the armor stood out proudly amongst the rubble, even as the man bearing its mark was still in severe pain. Soon, breathing wasn't the only thing that escaped the man's lips, as a pain-filled groan effected from his bloody lips. His mouth tasted of metal, his limbs felt like they were made of lead, though that could have also been due to the rubble covering the said limbs, and just about every fiber of his being felt as if it was on fire. But, in spite of all that, he was alive...alive.

Jacob Shepard couldn't help but stare blankly up at the black, smoke-filled, sky, his vision hazy but all the same still looking at the sky of his home planet. Staring up at the skies...why was he looking at the sky? A moment ago, he was staring at one of the cores to Catalysis, shooting it with the only weapon he had, in the final push to end the Reaper threat once and for all. Now...he was here, back on Earth and not on the Citadel.

His world grew blurrier and blurrier as he attempted to remove himself from the pile of rubble he had been trapped in. This attempt only lead to a loud. agonizing, groan to erupt from him as his body was wrecked with intense pain. It was excruciating, it shot through his entire body any moment he tried to move, and it only made his vision that much worse. But he had to move, had to see what was going on, find a reason as to why he was back on Earth and not at the Citadel.

"Over-here!" That voice, that oh-so-memorable voice which belonged to one of his greatest, loyal, and skilled friends. Said friend's foot-falls could be heard as he kicked through the rubble to reach his location, which finally ended just a few feet away. Shortly after the sudden cease of movement, Jacob could feel, albeit barely, the debris covering his body beginning to shift as his alley and best friend began the process of getting him out of the mess he was stuck in.

"G-Garrus?" His voice was strained, heavily so due to the accessible amounts of shouting along with the unfathomable level's of pain he was experiencing at the moment.

"Don't move Shepard," Responded the turian quickly, his tone holding both great concern and urgency as he continued to toss the rubble off his Commander's body. "we're gonna get you out of here, don't worry."

"Shepard!" Another familiar voice filled the air as the sound of more foot-falls could be heard, though not as clearly as it had been for Garrus, due to the fact that the sound of clattering rocks and stone was far louder. Even still, just hearing the voice was enough to put his already heavy heart at ease. Too many good people died in this war, he didn't want to be forced to bare the burden of loosing someone he cherished so much.

"Help me out here Tali, we need to get him to a medic soon." Responded Garrus calmly as ever, even if his tone still held its urgency.

Despite how blurry his vision was, despite how much pain he was in, Jacob inched his head just enough to make out her form. Even with her helmet, even with the visor hiding her face, it was obvious to see that she was suffering from seeing the human she had fallen in love with in such a condition. Fully aware of this, Jacob could only give her a look of reassurance, telling her that he would be okay, that she wouldn't lose him here, not lose him ever again.

"Tali!"

"R-right!" The heavily distraught young quorian responded to Garrus's call, and proceeded to kneel down and assist her turian friend remove the rubble from her lover's body.

As his two squad mates hastily worked on getting him free, the loud hum of Alliance tanks engines and thick tire-treads overwhelmed the sounds his team was making at the moment as they approached. From what little he could see, tanks, soldiers of various races, and fighters passed by them without pause; heading for their destination, shooting at anything and everything that stood in their path. If he wasn't in so much pain, if the situation wasn't so severe, he would have found the sight of this to be almost mesmerizing.

Suddenly, a new sound entered his ears, the loud hiss of one of a vehicle stopping it's advancement not far away from where him and his squad was currently digging him out. This his was followed by another, one that indicated that the hatch of the tank was opened. He couldn't tell who had dropped out of the vehicle, but what he did know was that, whoever it was, had caused both Garrus and Tali a brief moment of pause.

"Goddess, Shepard."

That was yet anther familiar voice which brought him relief. Liara was too good of a friend to lose to this war. Hell, no matter how unrealistic the thought was, he would hope to lose no more of his crew-mates in this battle, regardless to if they were actually on the Normandy or not.

"Good to see you too Liara." There was sarcasm in Garrus's voice this time around, but all those who were here now knew he was simply joking. It was his way to lighten the mood of things, even if it usually didn't work.

"Hold on Shepard, I'll get you out of there."

Jacob didn't know where he gathered the strength to nod, but he did. He knew she would take care of him, knew well enough that Liara would go to hell and back for him. That was the extent of their friendship, because she knew as well as he did, that he would do the same exact thing for her. Within a few moments, faint blue light was radiated from the Asari's body, both hands outstretched down towards him. Jacob could only watch as the stones, concrete and just about any piece of rubble on his person simply floated up off his body, before it was sent flying away from them.

The instant he was freed, was the instant the severity of his injuries were made noticeable. While it was true that the armor had taken the blunt of the damage for him, there was just some things that armor couldn't protect someone against. His right leg no longer held much of the material that protected him, showing that it was severely burnt from the calf down to his ankle. His left leg still bore some of the material and wasn't nearly as burnt as the other, but it was littered with various cuts and bruises. His arms were just as cut-up and bruised as his left leg, but his left arm appeared to have been broken. Thankfully, his head and chest weren't nearly as bad as everything else looked, if only covered in suet and dirt; a few cuts and scrapes along his face here and there.

Upon seeing the sight of their Commander's condition, all three member's of his crew went into action. Garrus and Liara applying medi-gel at critical areas, while Tali quickly tapped into the com-link to inform Admiral Hackett of their retrieval of their commander.

As for Jacub, well, he could do little to nothing at the moment. His eyes grew heavier with each second that passed, his vision getting further and further out of focus. Even the sounds of gun-fire, explosions, the thunderous booms of the tanks cannons firing, all of it simply grew quieter and quieter by the second. He could see Garrus's face looking down at him, and he realized how hard it was to tell how worried a turian looked. But he knew Garrus well enough to know that he was telling him something, probably telling him to stay awake. Liara's expression was clear to see, and she was just as worried as Garrus was, but he could not hear either of them.

The last thing he saw before his eyes fell and his word shifted into silent darkness, was two pearls of cream white through a purple visor, as a small light flickered rapidly in front of him.

* * *

With a sudden jolt, Jacob's eyes snapped open only to find himself staring at the ceiling of shining metal. His gaze stared above him for a few moments, his breathing rapid as he tried to regain his composer. As his heart-beat steadied and his breathing grew less rapid, he shifted his gaze to his surroundings. This setting he was familiar with, because he had visited this place many times over the course of his mission.

"You seem to have come back from the dead once again, Commander Shepard."

If this had been another situation, Jacob would have either chuckled at the poor attempt of a joke, or have been annoyed by her attempt at such an in-appropriate time. But, as it was, he was too concerned about why he was in the medical wing of the Normandy. First he wakes up back on Earth, now he was on his ship again. It was too much jumping around for his liking and it was beginning to give him a migraine. Either that, or he had been hit pretty hard and was suffering a mild concussion. Whatever the case was, his head hurt like hell.

"EDI, what happened?" Was the first of many questions on his mind. What happened to the Reapers? What happened to the Illusive Man? What happened to Earth? What happened to him? "Why am I back on the Normandy?"

EDI, the artificial intelligence operating on the ship, was silent for a moment, for what reason Shepard didn't know.

"After your body was recovered after Harbinger's attack on the assault team, you were placed in intensive care and treated for your wounds by Dr. Chakwas, along with several other medical operatives...you have been uncontentious for the past several days Shepard."

That news was something actually made him recoil ever-slightly on the operating table. It had been several days? Did that mean the assault on Earth had been successful, that they had managed to activate the Crucible and destroy the Reapers? Before he could ask these questions, however, EDI took the moment to affirm his suspicions.

"Shortly after your extraction from the battlefield, the ground troops were able to infiltrate the Citadel and activate the Crucible, eliminating the Reaper threat shortly upon its activation. Though there were reports of several casualties once troops gained access to the main terminal, the opposition was eventually eliminated and activation of the Citadel's arm controls was completed."

Hearing that there was an opposition made Jacub's mind instantly shift into the direction that the Illusive Man was that said opposition. But if it was, how did they kill him without being indoctrinated? Overwhelming numbers did nothing but give him more power to exploit for his benefit, ultimately using the Crucible to control the Reapers and not destroy them. He was half tempted to ask, very tempted actually, but there were bigger questions on his mind, ones that needed addressing now; he'd read the reports himself later to get up to speed.

"Did everyone make it out okay EDI?"

EDI...was silent. She was an AI and while her new 'platform' was prone to taking moments of pause to answer questions he may have asked, she didn't remain silent to something that was as simple as 'yes' or 'no'. Unless, that is, she wasn't...willing to give the answer he loathed to hear.

"I'm...sorry Shepard." Even if she was an AI, that simple statement was enough of an indicator to tell him that not everyone made it out. Some of his crew, the crew he had built to trust, befriend, and genuinely care for, didn't make it back with them. Such a thought was something that he had dreaded to hear from the start, and he was sure that he would further be haunted by their deaths in his dreams; just as they had haunted him since this war had begun.

These thoughts prevented him from hearing the sound of the door to the medical bay hissed before opening.

"It was Jeff's idea for a surprise, Commander."

When Jacob glanced over where EDI's voice had come from, he was delighted with the sight of everyone apart of his crew, standing in the doorway, each one baring some sort of injury or another, but all alive regardless. EDI's platform being in front of the small group, look almost guilty for her little stunt, but he was far from angry with her. Honestly, no matter how cruel the joke was, he was just glad to see everyone was alright.

"EDI had told us the moment you woke up." Informed Garrus, raising one of his hands to scratch at his forehead, his way of trying to hide his relief and keep his composer. "We were notified first and fore-most, being some of your best operatives on the ship and all."

"Yeah, though I still don't know why she called you Scars." Joked James, shooting the turian an arrogant smirk usually reserved for his, well, rival is a to put it. It was nice though, James having someone who he could get along with so well.

"Keep talking Vega, we'll be sure to settle this _after _we get our shore-leave." Retorted Garrus, though the amusement in his voice was not missed at all by anyone in the room.

"Keelah, could you two please get a room?" Let it be said that Tali didn't have her own fun messing with her fellow crew-mates, especially if it concerned one of her closest friends.

Jacob could only shake his head a the sight of his crews bickering, his own amusement in the sight being well known to those who paid attention. He was glad they all made it, though not forgetting some of those who were lost during the battle on Earth. So many people, so many lives lost during the course of this war. Mordian, Legion, Thane, and countless more. He was simply glad that none of their deaths, their sacrifices, weren't put to waste.

"-epard?"

Twin pools of brown shifted towards Ashley, who was standing beside the table he was laying on, eyes holding a bit of annoyance but did her best to keep the emotion hidden.

"Sorry Ash, just thinking about everything that's happened." Admitted Jacob, which in turn caused everyone else to settle down. While still severely sore, he was good enough to where he could at least adjust his position to sit with his legs hanging over the edge of the table, addressing all who were present. Ashley, seeing this, took a few steps back to give him some room and not accidentally hit one his legs.

Taking a deep breath, his eyes scanned the group in which he had assembled, his team, soldiers, and friends. Though his gaze did linger a bit longer onto Tali than the others, something that didn't go unnoticed by some amongst the group, his gaze finally shifted down to the floor, his head drooped down slightly as another exhale escaped his lips whilst a hand raised to comb over his buzz-cut hair.

"We did it everyone." Jacob said finally, his voice shuddering slightly as he spoke; as if not believing it for himself. "The Reapers are destroyed, the threat that had nearly ended just about all organic life is now gone from history. A threat we, of all races, had nearly faced extinction from is no more."

Jacob's head lifted to gaze at his team with a satisfactory look in his eyes and a proud smirk planted firmly on his lips as he stared back at each one of them.

"But that isn't the greatest of victories in my opinion." He continued, still smiling and still gazing at his team. "The greatest victory, to me, is that all of you made it out of that hellish battle on Earth alive. That is what I think is the greatest victory of all and I'm proud to serve as your commander."

With those words being said, each member of his crew straitened their postures before, in near perfect harmony, saluted to the man they chose to follow. Regardless of their past, regardless of their reasons, all knew one thing was for certain at that moment: that each and every one of them felt the very same towards their commander.

They were all proud to serve under the man who had done so much and more for the good of everyone in the galaxy; race be damned.

"So, who thinks we should cash in our shore-leave now and hit the nearest bar?"

"And just like that, the magic is gone."

* * *

A low sigh escaped Jacob's lips as his fingers raised to pinch the bridge of his nose, looking at the after-batte reports that were streaming in on the panel he was holding. Even with his injuries, healed to the extent as they were, he was still in pain and sore all over. If the pain wasn't enough, the events of the war and everything that lead up the final push against the Reapers had left him completely exhausted. Drained both mentally and physically, but that wouldn't stop him from doing his duties. More or less, though, he was searching for the rest of his comrades that had aided him in the final fight.

Most of them were okay, while some had taken some serious injuries that left them hospitalized. Thankfully though, none of the fatalities were from his former crew-mates. Jack was alive and kicking, though had at least three of her students in intensive care at the moment. Wrex and Grunt were alright thanks to their regeneration capabilities and were more than likely boasting about their achievements at this very moment. Zaeed was wounded and but alive; old bastard was as tough to kill as he claimed. Samara was alive, providing protection with her biotics along side with Meranda and Jacob who both provided her cover once Samara went on the offensive. Kasume, being apart of the Shield Division among the fleets, was uninjured from the battle.

It was a great relief to see all them were safe. One of the greatest reliefs of the day though was to see that Anderson was still alive and well. Tired from all the fighting, injured from the last push, but he was alive. While all the news was good, the bad still had a way of worming its way into it as well. The casualties were staggering on all races. Human's taken the most amongst all others, but that wasn't to say that the war was kind to all the other's as well. Even still, while he hated to think of it as such, casualties were far better than becoming completely extinct.

Yet another sigh escaped Jacob's lips as he eased himself down onto the couch in his cabin. It took some persuasion to get Dr. Chakwas to let him leave the med-bay to return to his cabin. Even then, Garrus had to help him just to get to the elevator, though said turian claimed he didn't mind helping out a friend. Though he did say he owed him, which he planned to do so soon. Still, every part of his body was either in pain or drained of any sort of energy. He felt so out of it that, as his hand holding the report-panel flopped onto the couch, he could do nothing but stare blankly at the fish-tank across from him, watching the aquatic animals swim within the confines of the tank.

The sudden hissing sound of his door opening was the only think that snapped him out of his daze. Lacking any energy to stand, he tried his best to gaze through the glass holding his models to see who had entered. The intruder was none-other than Tali'Zorah, his quorian engineer, and the love of his life. Said lover had taken note of Jacob's location and took her time making her way over towards him.

"How are you feeling Jake?"

To explain, before the Reapers had arrived and the Collectors were the main focus, Tali had suggested that, to avoid the confusion with there being two Jacobs on the Normandy, that she call him by that attest to normal. It had been fine to him considering that the mix-up was often to occur whenever she wasn't required to be formal. To them, it had stuck even after Jacob had left the Normandy and go free-lance.

The question wasn't answered immediately, as Jacob's head tilted back to rest against the cushion on the couch, eyes closed as he allowed himself to relax just a bit.

"I've been better, felt worse." Was his response to her question, even his tone showed how tired he was, even if he was uncontentious for days, that didn't take away all the fatigue which he had to endure to get to where they are now. Though, upon reaching the thought of battle, his mind remembered something rather crucial, one he needed to know as of immediately. With a wince, he pulled his head back up to look back at Tali, his expression showing worry as he looked back at her. "Your suit hold up alright?"

"Oh, um, yes I did take a few hits though." This was one thing Tali didn't like to talk about. Not because it was private to her, but mainly because she didn't want to worry Jacob because of her getting careless at some point or another. "D-don't worry Jake, I had bolstered my immune system before we hit Earth so I was only sick for a few days. N-nothing too severe, though I won't say it was an enjoyable experience."

Jacob couldn't hold back the sight of relief even if he tried. Seeing him relax, now that he knew she was okay, Tali took that moment to ease her way around the coffee table and seat herself next to her loved one. Having raised his arm high enough, Tali slowly slid herself into a comfortable position leaning against him, careful to avoid causing him any sort of pain.

No matter how many times she saw it, she was always amazed how Jacob could endure so much yet always seem to get right back up for the next challenge. Everything to this point was done by his actions, his resolve to save as many people as he could. In no small way, that was why she grew attached to him, why that attachment turned into affection; affection which he returned towards her. She herself didn't know why he had felt the way he did about her, but she wasn't one to pry about that sort of thing. She knew he loved her, and he knew she loved him just as much. That much there was no doubt in her mind.

"Keelah, how do you do it Jake?" Muttered Tali, gently resting her three-fingered hand onto his chest as she spoke.

Jacob's curious expression was not missed, but was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He had his answer, for it wasn't the first time that very same question had been addressed to him by others. It had always been the same answer, and nothing was ever going to change it.

"I have things worth fighting for, things worth protecting." As he said this, using what little strength he had at the moment, he moved his arm to circle around her waist and pull her closer towards him. Pain was a small price to pay for having Tali safely at his side. "Because I have you Tali, I'll gladly keep fighting whatever threatens to take you away from me."

Even without the visor, one could tell that Jacob's proclamation had embarrassed her. Never the less, she was happy to hear it, happier than she could have ever hoped to be.

"I also use a shotgun."

Upon hearing that, though, Tali couldn't quell the urge to pinch his right nipple through his shirt.

"Ow!"

"Bosh'tet."

A few chuckles escaped both parties for a moment as they sat their, simply staring at the fish-tank and simply relishing in the feeling of having their loved-one beside them. Both had been prepared for the worst, prepared to die for the sake of saving the galaxy. And while the thought of losing the other would have been painful, they knew the risks and harbored no regrets about it. Jacob had put himself on the line for Quarian people, her specifically, multiple times since they had met, and she had done the same for him. He had given back her homeworld and helped them end their war against the Geth. Her helping him reclaim his own world and eliminate the Reapers was among the many things she could do to repay him for what he had done for her people.

While there were a few _other _ways she could repay him, she knew better. Not when he was like this, not when he was still recovering from everything that had happened. She could wait for the chance to feel her skin against his once again, to feel his lips against her's once more. Because of their previous interactions, her immune system had been able to adapt to Jacob, so there was no longer any fear of her getting sick from being intimate with him. That being said, she was eagerly awaiting Jacob's recovery, something which Dr. Chakwas has said would be a little bit longer. The moment he was back to normal, she would pounce on him just as she had done when they were chasing the Collectors.

'_Totally worth it_.' Thought the young quarian to herself as she gently nuzzled further into Jacob's embrace, taking note of his own grip pulling her even closer towards him. He couldn't see it, but Tali'Zorah vas Normandy was smiling far brighter than she ever had before in her life at this very moment. '_Totally worth the wait._'

* * *

Well, there it is for you all. Yes, I'm a sucker for Tali so sue me. Anyways, more chapters will come, and I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I should be going.

R&R


End file.
